Bear, I'll be honest and say at 1 in the morning, I've not studied thoroughly your post.

But briefly

So how should the biblical creation be presented as part of an academic curriculum?
- Possibly as a literary work that has been subject to much alteration and interpretation through the ages.
That's not acceptable to me. I'm in serious danger of waffling, so I'll TRY to make sense, and others can clarify or ask for clarification. :P John says, In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God. The bible is known as the Living Word. God's word. And God doesn't change. So how can his message change? I can't pick and choose what parts of the bible I believe are true, and reject other parts. I either accept it all as God's truth, or reject it all as inaccurate and just a book, not God's word. (and there, perhaps, we have the difference between Christians and those not believing.)
- Possibly as a religious belief that is particular to a sub-section of the modern christian community.
The bible says that God created the world. If you call yourself a Christian (follower of Christ), who came to fulfill the law, the Old Testament, then you'd be believing that God created. How? Well, if the bible doesn't say exactly how, I suppose people can debate, but it's not an issue that affects salvation really. Personally, I don't see why I shouldn't take it literally.
- Definately not as "alternative" science.
To be honest, I sometimes think Evolution requires just as much, if not more faith than Creation. That's from my Creation believing point of view though. :P I think it would be cool for the evidence to be presented - fossils, sedimentary layers, and say 'the Evolution theory explains this evidence this way, and the Creation theory explains this evidence this way. You decide for yourself what is true'.

Sorry if that's garbled.